Heavy duty hand dispensers



July 9, 1957. v

.1. A. POLSTER 2,798,551

HEAVY DUTY HAND DISPENSERS Filed April 4, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

HEAVY DUTY HAND DISPENSERS John A. Polster, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Application April 4, 1951, erial No. 219,295

8 Claims. (Cl. 164-84.5)

The present invention relates to dispensers for adhesive tape, including pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, and particularly to hand dispensers, i. e. dispensers designed to be held in the hand when being operated, as contrasted with those designed to be held by a table, work bench or other support.

It is an improvement on the invention broadly described and claimed in the co-pending application of Walter S. Aldrich, Serial No. 219,299, filed concurrently herewith.

The invention concerns hand dispensers having a drum for supporting an annular roll of tape, an arm fixed to the drum and extending outwardly beyond the periphery of the roll, and a passive severing means at the end of the arm for severing a withdrawn length of tape that extends from the roll outwardly beyond the severing means.

Objectives include the provision in such dispensers, of improved cutting means; also the provision of a means for rendering automatic the formation of a grapsing tab at the end of each dispensing operation.

In dispensers of the above described type, the invention provides a knife at the end of the arm, the said knife having a cutting position in which the knife points directly into the surface of a withdrawn length of tape that extends from the roll outwardly beyond the knife.

Also, in such a dispenser, the invention provides for an anchoring means positioned to engage the tape when the tape extends from the supply roll to the serving means.

A passive severing means is one wherein cutting is accomplished by movement of the object. This is in contrast to an active severing means, wherein cutting is accomplished by movement of the severing means.

An illustrative embodiment is described below and shown in the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a hand dispenser in operation;

Figure 2 is a plan View;

Figure 3 is a side elevation; and

Figure 4 is an elevation of the outer end or front.

A drum 11 supports upon its periphery 12 an annular supply roll 13 of normally tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 13'. An aperture 14 extends through the drum to accommodate the finger of the hand of an operator, thus providing means for grasping the drum 11 with the supply roll 13 mounted thereon as shown in Figure 1. The unapertured portion of the drum serves as a handle.

At a point beyond the periphery of the drum and spaced from the periphery sufliciently to accommodate the roll 13, is a tape cutting or severing assembly, the frame of the said assembly being formed of a left side member 15, a right side member 16, and a top member 17 that extends between the upper edges of the side mem bers and connects them, all three ofthe said members being here shown in the form of plates.

The top member 17 serves as a knife guard in a manner hereinafter described.

rate atent At least one of the side members 15 and 16 is elongated to form an arm extending inwardly along one side of the roll 13 to the drum 11.

In the illustrated embodiment both are thus elongated, forming two arms 15 and 16', respectively, which are removably fixed to the drum by pairs of cleats 18 on the sides of the drum. The cutting assembly may be disengaged from the drum to permit mounting fresh rolls of tape on the drum, by Withdrawing the arms 15 and 16 from the cleats in the direction of the arrow 19.

In an alternative construction, only one of the side members, e. g., the member 15, is elongated to form an arm, and the arm 16 is eliminated, the side member 16 terminating at approximately the point indicated by the arrow 20.

An advantage of the one-arm construction is speed in mounting and demounting rolls, so that a variety of sizes, colors and/ or kinds of tape may be dispensed in quick succession from a single dispenser.

An advantage of the two-arm construction is greater structural strength.

In either form, the arm or arms may, if desired, be longer than is shown in the illustrated dispenser so as to extend beyond the periphery 12 of the drum 11 opposite the cutting assembly. This helps to keep the roll 13 aligned on the drum.

The cutting assembly includes a knife holding frame formed of a left side plate 25, a right side plate 26 and a connecting top plate 27. A knife 28 is held in the upper end of the frame against the under surface of the top plate 27 by a knife plate 29, the plates 27 and 29 being drawn together and held by screws 30. The opposite end of the frame is journaled on the roller 31 for pivotal movement of the frame about an axis parallel with the drums axis. The roller extends between the side plates 15 and 16, is itself journaled therein, and serves as a means between the roll and the severing means by which the tape is temporarily anchored or held by adherence thereto.

The knife holding frame thus provides for movement of the knife from the normal retracted or guarded position adjacent the guard plate 17 as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, to the exposed cutting position shown in Figure 1 and indicated by the broken lines in Figure 3.

When the knife is in the retracted position, the outer or forward edge of the guard plate 17 extends beyond the cutting edge of the knife 23.

A lever member formed of two side plates 35 and 36, a connecting front plate 37, a thumb piece 38, and ears 35 and 36' projecting inwardly from the two side plates 35 and 36, respectively, is pivoted at 39 to provide a means for moving the knife from the retracted position to the cutting position in response to manual pressure on the thumb piece 33. The said lever member is located in a position to be operated by that hand of the operator which grasps the mounted roll and. the drum, as shown in Figure 1. The cars 35 and 36 engage the lower edges of the side plates 25 and 26 respectively, the plates 25 and 26 being shaped to accommodate the movement.

A spring 4-0 on the roller 31, bearing between the assembly side plate 15 and the knife frame side plate 25, acts to return the knife from the cutting position to the retracted position when the pressure on the thumb piece 38 is released.

In operation, the tape 13, tacky side down, is drawn from the supply roll 13 outwardly between the knife frame side plates 25 and 26, and between the knife 28 and the anchoring roller 31. When a desired length has been withdrawn, manual pressure is applied to the thumb piece 38, thereby moving the knife into the cutting position shown in broken lines in Figure 3, whereupon the length oftape thatextends beyond the knife is severed by drawing it upwardly against the knife, as shown in Figure 1.

When tape is being withdrawn, the roll should ordinarilybe free to turn-on the drum. Thegripof the operators hand and fingers ;on the roll is accordingly relaxed at such a time to;-allow .the-roll toslip through the ;;hand, although the grip on the drum continues. Whentape is,being-severed however, his preferablethat the roll he -fixed in relation to-the drum andfirmlyheld, and the operator accordingly :then grips-the roll aswell as the-drum.

As will be seen from-Figure 3, :the, knife, when in ,cutting position, points directly into the surface of :the :tape when the tape extends from the supply roll outwardly beyond'the knife, asqcontrasted, for example, with a cutting position inwhich the knife points in the same general direction ,in which the :tape extends. Such a positioning of the knife provides good leverage and convenience in the severing operation in that the .tape can be severed simply by drawing it upwardly. ,lnthe machine shown herein, the knife preferably points in a direction which is at an-angleof atyleast 90 in respect to the direction of :the axis of the arm.

It will also be seen in Figure 3 thattheposition .of the anchoring roller 31 is such that it .will engagea withdrawn length of tape that extends from the supply roll 13 to the cutting edge of'the knife when the knife is in cutting position; and thetape 'willvbe temporarily anchored to the roller by reason of its adherence-thereto. A short length or tab 46 of tape extending "beyond the roller 31 is thus provided .and positioned, by which to grasp the tape for the .next succeeding dispensing .operation, such provision and positioning being .automatic without the necessity of adhering the tape to the anchor by a separate manual operation.

The location of the drum aperture '14 is such that .the grasped portion of the mounted roll 13 is at one side of a plane determined by the axis of the drum 11 and by at .leastone point on the. edge of the knife 28, the knife pointing directly into the surface of a withdrawn length of tape 13' that extends from the roll outwardly beyond the knife (Figure 3) so that the dispenser is .grasped from the top and held down firmly .atarms length (Figure 1).

There are numerous alternatives and equivalents, and embodiments maybe constructed other than that illus trated, all within'the scope of the invention described and/or claimed herein.

I claim:

1. Aportable hand dispenser comprising a drum for supporting an annular roll of tape, an aperture in the drum to accommodate the fingers when a mounted roll and the drum are grasped as a unit by thehand of an operator, an arm fixedto the .drurnand extending out- 1 the said means for moving the knife into cutting posidon-being so'located as to be operable by that hand of the operator which grasps .the mounted rolland the drum.

2. A portable hand dispenser comprising a drum for supporting an annular roll of tape, an aperture in the drum to accommodate the fingers when a mountedroll and the drum are graspedas a unit bythe hand of an operator, and a tape severing assembly beyond the periphery of the roll; the said asernbly comprising two spaced parallel side members, at least one of the side members being elongated to form an-arm extending from the assemblyalong one .side of the roll to the drum, the second side member being positioned to permit a withdrawn unsevered .length of .tape to pass between the-side members when the tape is drawn outwardly from the roll, a guard plate extending between the side members and connecting the side members, a knife holding frame, a knife fixed to the frame, the frame being pivotally mounted between the side members for movement of the knife from a retracted position adjacent the guard to an exposed cutting position away from the guard and return, means for moving the knife into cutting position, and means 'for moving the knife into retracted position, the said means for moving the knife into cutting position being so located as to be operable by that hand of the operator which grasps the mounted roll and'the drum.

3. A portable hand dispenser comprising a drumfor supporting an annular roll of tape, an aperture in the drum to accommodate the fingers when a mounted roll and the drum are grasped as a unit by the hand of an operator, and a tape severing assembly beyond the periphery of the roll; the said assembly comprising two spaced parallel "side members, at least one of the side members being elongated toform an arm extending from the assembly inwardly along one side of the roll to the .drum, the second side "member being positioned to permit a Withdrawn unsevered length of tape to extend, outwardly from the roll between the side members, a guard..plate extending between the side members andv connecting theiside members, a knife holding frame, a .knife fixed .to one end of the frame, the frame being pivotally mounted at the opposite end between 'theside members for movement of the knife about an'axis parallel :with the drums axis from aretracted position to an exposed cutting position and return, the knife being adjacent xthe guard plate with the outer edge of the guard platev extending beyond the cutting edge of the knife When the knife is in retracted position and the knife being away from the guard when in cutting position with the cutting edge pointing directly into the surface of a withdrawn unsevered length of tape when such length extends from the roll outwardly past the knife, means for moving the knife into cutting position, and means for moving the knife into retracted position, the said means for moving the knife into cutting position being solocated as to be-operable by that hand of the operator which grasps the mounted roll and the drum.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3; the gu'ard'plate being fixed on the upper edges of the side members; the pivotal mounting means for the knife frame comprising a tape anchoring roller below the guard plate and in spaced relation thereto to permit withdrawn unsevered tape to .pass between the roller and the knife when the knife is in retracted position adjacent the plate; the cutting edge of the knife extendingbelow the roller when incutting position so that withdrawn tape will bear against the roller when being drawn against the cutting edge in a severing operation.

5. A dispenser according to claim 3 in which the knife moving means comprises a lever member pivotally mounted to move the knife from retracted position to cutting position in response to manual pressure on one end of the lever member, and spring means for returning the knife to retracted position.

6. A portable hand dispenser comprising a drum for supporting an annular roll of tape, an aperture in the drum to accommodate the fingers when a mounted roll and the drum are grasped as aunit by the hand of an operator, an arm on each side of the drum extending outwardly beyond the periphery of the roll along the sides of the roll, the-arms being removably fixed to the drum, a knife between the arms at the ends of the arms, the location of the said drum aperture being such that the grasped portion of the mounted roll is at one side of a plane determined by the axis of the drum and by at least one point on the edge of the knife, the knife pointing directly into the surface of a'withdrawn'length of tape that extends from the roll outwardly beyond the knife, the said direction in which the knife points being at an angle of approximately 90 to the said plane. 7. A portable hand dispenser comprising a drum for supporting an annular roll of tape, an aperture in the drum to accommodate the fingers when a mounted roll and the drum are grasped as a unit by the hand of an operator, an arm on each side of the drum extending outwardly beyond the periphery of the roll along the sides of the roll, the arms being removably fixed to the drum, a knife between the arms at the ends of the arms, the location of the said drum aperture being such that the knife and the grasped portion of the mounted roll are on the same side of a plane determined by the axis of the drum and by at least one point on the edge of the knife, the knife pointing directly into the surface of a withdrawn length of tape that extends from the roll outwardly beyond the knife with the radially outward surface facing the knife, the said direction in which the knife points being at an angle of approximately 90 to the said plane.

8. A dispenser according to claim 7 wherein the knife is pivotally mounted for movement from a retracted po- 6 sition to a cutting position and return, a lever member pivoted to the said arms for movement of the knife from retracted position to cutting position in response to pressure of the thumb of the operators roll-grasping hand on the lever member, and spring means for returning the knife to retracted position.

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